Chapter 1822

Jude didn’t move.

The words had come from the forest beyond the wooden door.

The one standing beside you isn’t Sol.

And the boy beside him had just whispered the exact opposite of what Jude wanted to hear.

"Jude... whatever happens, don’t let me meet myself."

Jude looked from the child to the strange forest.

"Explain."

Sol shook his head.

"There’s no time."

"I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening."

The boy glanced towards the fourteen figures beneath the enormous tree.

"They’re waiting."

"For whom?"

"For me."

Jude lowered himself slightly so he could look directly into the child’s face.

"Sol, listen to me. You’ve been with us for days. You’ve eaten at our table, played in our gardens, walked through our village and slept in our house. Whatever is happening here, you don’t have to face it alone."

Sol looked at him.

For a moment, the fear in his expression softened.

Then the voice from the forest spoke again.

"Jude, please. Bring him home."

The boy immediately covered his ears.

"Don’t listen!"

The voice continued.

"You don’t know what he is."

Jude stood between Sol and the doorway.

"Then tell me."

A figure separated from the group beneath the tree.

It was a child.

A boy with dark hair, wearing clothes identical to Sol’s.

He walked towards the wooden house.

Every step made the branches above him tremble.

When he reached the entrance, he turned.

His face was exactly like Sol’s.

The same pale features.

The same dark eyes.

The same small scar near his chin.

But there was something different about his expression.

He looked older.

Not in appearance, but in the way he carried himself. There was a stillness about him that made Jude feel as though the boy had been waiting for something for a very long time.

The second Sol lifted his hand.

The real Sol beside Jude began trembling.

"Don’t let him come closer," he whispered.

Jude held his shoulder.

"Stay behind me."

The second boy smiled.

"Hello, Jude."

Jude didn’t answer.

The boy looked at Sol.

"You brought him here."

Sol shook his head.

"No."

"You brought the key."

"I didn’t."

"You opened the door."

"I didn’t know."

The second boy tilted his head.

"You always say that."

The wooden house behind him creaked.

A light appeared in one of its upper windows.

Then another.

Then another.

Jude noticed that the fourteen figures beneath the tree had not moved.

They were standing in a perfect circle around the house, each holding a small light in their hands.

The first figure looked like Susan.

The second looked like Rose.

The third looked like Serena.

The fourth resembled Layla.

The others were familiar too.

They were all his wives.

But none of them seemed to notice him.

"Who are those people?" Jude asked.

The second Sol answered.

"Memories."

"Memories of whom?"

"Everyone who ever lived here."

Jude glanced towards the enormous tree.

"How many?"

The boy smiled.

"More than you can count."

The branches shifted.

For a brief moment, Jude saw hundreds of tiny lights moving among the leaves.

They looked like stars trapped inside the tree.

The second boy continued.

"This house remembers everything. Every voice, every face, every promise. It remembers the people who left and the people who were left behind."

Jude tightened his grip on the first Sol’s shoulder.

"Why does it want us?"

"Because you brought something back."

"What?"

The second boy pointed towards Jude’s pocket.

"The key."

Jude instinctively touched the pocket where he had placed the wooden key.

It was still there.

"Why is it important?"

The boy’s smile disappeared.

"Because it opens the room where the first promise was made."

Jude looked at Sol.

The child beside him lowered his head.

"What promise?" Jude asked.

The second boy didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked towards the house.

A wooden shutter opened by itself.

Inside the room stood a woman.

She was wearing a pale dress.

Her hair was long and dark.

Jude could not see her face clearly, but he recognised her posture.

Layla.

"Jude?" she called.

He stepped forward instinctively.

Sol pulled him back.

"Not her."

The woman moved closer to the window.

"Please."

Jude stared at her.

"Layla?"

She raised her hand.

"I’m here."

The second Sol watched silently.

Then he said, "You see? That’s how it begins."

The woman at the window smiled.

"Come inside, Jude."

The wooden door behind her opened.

Warm golden light spread across the forest.

For a moment, the scene looked so ordinary that Jude almost forgot where he was.

A comfortable house.

A familiar woman.

A warm light.

A place to rest.

Then he noticed the windows.

Every window reflected the same room.

Even the ones facing the forest.

And in every reflection, Layla was standing behind him.

Jude turned.

Nothing was there.

He looked back at the house.

The woman was still smiling.

"Come home."

Jude shook his head.

"Where is the real Layla?"

The woman’s smile slowly faded.

"She’s where she belongs."

"Where?"

"Here."

"Then let me see her."

A long silence followed.

The woman looked towards the second Sol.

He lowered his head.

Then the woman spoke.

"She is sleeping."

Jude’s voice hardened.

"Wake her."

"I cannot."

"Why?"

"Because she has already chosen."

Jude felt a coldness spread through his chest.

"Chosen what?"

The woman stepped away from the window.

The room behind her went dark.

The second Sol turned towards the first.

"You should tell him."

The boy beside Jude remained silent.

"Tell him what?" Jude demanded.

The second boy looked at him.

"He doesn’t remember because you haven’t asked the right question."

Jude stared at the child.

"What question?"

The second Sol answered.

"Ask him who found him on the beach."

Jude looked down at the boy beside him.

"Sol?"

The child didn’t respond.

"Who found you on the beach?"

Sol’s fingers tightened around his sleeve.

"You did."

"Why were you there?"

"I don’t remember."

The second boy laughed softly.

"Ask him why he was waiting."